We’ve assembled a bingo sheet for you and your family to inspire random acts of kindness in your household. Acts of kindness cause a ripple effect – starting them in the home can cause others in your household to pass them along to others. Work individually or as a family to complete the bingo sheet.

When Olivia entered foster care as a young child, she faced a future filled with uncertainty. Separated from her biological family, she struggled to trust others and found herself moving between different homes. After receiving mental health support through a residential facility, Olivia found hope through Nexus-PATH Family Healing’s Independent Living Services in North Dakota.

If you or someone you know experiences painful memories this time of year, check out some of our blogs below to read different perspectives on relationships, learn ways to move past those difficult times, and learn how to continue to give and accept love from others. 

Love and kindness should go hand in hand, and random acts of kindness are scientifically proven to positively impact yourself and those around you. Making the choice to be kind and focusing on compassion, not just for others but for yourself, can have a huge impact on mental health.

The new year is in full swing, with this time of year being filled with optimism and hope, and feelings of a fresh start. It can also be a time of anxiety and uncertainty. To help yourself and your loved ones move successfully into the new year, we’re giving you tips on how to pack your theoretical suitcase filled with the good things for the new year. 

When Maddison Hawes, a School Case Manager for Nexus-PATH Family Healing, started meeting with families to provide mental health services in schools, she learned that many of her families were low-income and financially vulnerable. Nexus-PATH saw a need and decided to fill it. They decided to start a food pantry for their families, directly in their offices, converting an available small office space into a pantry.

While winter can make us want to hibernate and stay home, there are days when we still must get out, run errands, and travel. In the Midwest, that means being prepared to drive on snowy and icy roads. Despite many of us being used to driving in the winter, drivers can still feel anxiety, dread, or even full-on panic at the prospect of driving in such conditions – or just driving in general, no matter the weather. For many who’ve been in car accidents or with an anxiety disorder, those feelings of dread and panic can be exacerbated. 

Winter is the season of stillness. We are often under a constant barrage of “new year, new me” messaging. The idea of rebuilding ourselves and the pressure to make big changes is everywhere. This sense of "newness" feels contrary in a season where we should be enjoying the quiet and stillness of winter and the togetherness of the holidays. 

How can hope improve mental health? Studies on the science of hope began in the 1980s, and it was determined that hope is an action-oriented skill that can be learned, versus just something that you “feel.” In order to cultivate positive change in ourselves, in others, or society at large, restoring hope is the vital first step.

Arriving with doubts and a heavy heart, Graydon embarked on a transformative journey at Nexus-Woodbourne Family Healing’s residential treatment program. His story reflects the power of resilience, growth, and the impact of compassionate support.